L'île des amours

I first saw "New Moon" last month on Turner Classic Movies. It is a charming, beautiful movie. The contemporaneous New York Times movie critic said that the chemistry between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is astonishing and I agree. The story is convoluted and predictable. The music is sensational. You will remember many of the songs forever. I love old movies, I think the movies from the 30's and 40's are the finest. "New Moon" pushed "Bringing up Baby" out of my favorite movie slot. It's just a wonderful movie. She is ravishing, he is an alpha male and their singing is beautiful. The story is sweet and emotionally satisfying. I love this movie.

Having performed in "New Moon" in summer stock, I watched the 1940 version of this Sigmund Romberg operetta with great interest. I confess I don't remember any of the story since I was in it 35 years ago in the midst of many other summer stock productions. But what I do remember is that "New Moon" needs great voices and opulent production values. Our production values consisted of a bunch of men standing outside the entrance to the barn, which was covered by a curtain, and yelling to indicate the fight on board ship.

The "New Moon" contains some of the most beautiful music ever written, including "Lover Come Back," "Wanting You," "One Kiss," the rousing "Stout-Hearted Men," and my favorite, "Softly, As in the Morning Sunrise." So who better to perform it than those songbirds of the silver screen, Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald.

The story has to do with dissidents from France, in the days of the revolution, who are sold as bond servants in Louisiana. They are led by Philippe, Duc de Villiers (Eddy), who has planned their escape back to France via a ship, the New Moon. Meanwhile, he's fallen for Marianne (Jeanette MacDonald), and she for him. When the bond servants make their escape, Marianne and her aunt (Mary Boland) accompany them back to France with women who are traveling to become brides. When the ship is attacked, the dissidents and the women find themselves in a new world.

In the film, the characters of Alexander and Julie are reduced to bit parts, though their song "Gorgeous Alexander" plays in the background. The roles of Robert and Philippe have been combined, giving Eddy both the lead baritone song and the tenor song "Softly." Several songs have been cut as well as dances.

However, the best-known songs are present; the songs cut, with the exception with "The Girl on the Prow," are ditties. Eddy is in magnificent voice. I'm not a huge fan of MacDonald's singing - it's a thin voice - but she's beautiful, a fine actress, and great with Eddy.

Someone mentioned that Eddy and MacDonald are more "mature" here - I actually didn't notice.

Yes, the dialogue is corny, but these operettas were about the music. If you want to hear some beautiful songs in a film starring one of the classic teams of film history, "New Moon" is for you.

If you love the collaborations of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald you will like New Moon very much. All of them are immensely fun to watch, though their best is between this and Maytime. It is not without imperfections, the script can get very corny(though the "men are more lenient than goats" and "anger can make you very charming mademoiselle...exchange" are nice), and while with a certain innocence and charm the story is very creaky, though we can honestly say by now that in operetta the story has never been the strongest component. However the production values are a pleasure to look at, New Moon is crisply shot and boasts beautiful costumes and sets. The score is whimsical and lush, while the songs are just wonderful with marvellously witty lyrics. Standing out in particular are One Kiss, Lover Come Back to Me, Stout-Hearted Men and especially Wanting You. The songs are very nicely staged in the film, Stout-Hearted Men are full of lively gusto that is immense fun to watch while Wanting You is kept simply and is both adorable and touching. New Moon is solidly directed and doesn't feel like a bore at all, despite the script and the story not being the absolute best they could have been. The supporting cast are uniformly good, but it is Nelson and Jeanette MacDonald that make the film so worthwhile. They work beautifully together, and sing and act with great energy and appealing tones. MacDonald is always charming, and has always been the better actress, though Eddy is actually much more comfortable than he was in Naughty Marietta(the best I've seen him though is Chocolate Soldier with Rise Stevens). While both sound great, Eddy is in particularly wonderful voice, his rich, warm masculine tones have always been more preferable to MacDonald's still sweet if slightly thin and trebly voice. Both have moments to shine, they are great in their duets Wanting You and Lover Come Back to Me, but MacDonald is very touching in One Kiss and Eddy literally goes for it, attacking with such liveliness and gusto, in Stout-Hearted Men. Overall, a very nice film, maybe not for all tastes but for Eddy-MacDonald fans it's a treat. 8/10 Bethany Cox

These people are marvelous. The woman star is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and the man is beyond handsome, and these gorgeous people can sing, and sing beautifully. I've been unable to get the music out of my head. It is romantic and gorgeous and unforgettable. The story is old fashioned and as different from today's movies as daylight is from night. This movie is not edgy or raw, it is just the opposite. Just a wonderful emotional experience. (At the crack of dawn, my mother in law (we are staying with them for the weekend) dragged me out of bed and said that I had to see this movie and although we have little in common when it comes to taste in clothes and many other things, she was entirely right about this movie. Thank you Gina.)

The main thing in a Nelson/Jeanette film is the songs and beautiful harmony the stars accomplish. "Wanting You" is so lovely, I replay it before I go on with the rest of the show.

Operettas are a specialized taste, and not for everyone. But for those who like them, this is a special treat. Nelson is very romantic in this film and of course, no one sings harmony better. Jeanette always does the melody and it is Nelsons great pacing and harmony that make the songs so beautiful.

The story of the Louisiana bayou country and the French settlers at the time of the French Revolution is just a way to get the cast in lovely costumes and settings. Nelsons "Give Me Some Men" is thrilling and his holding his long note for over a minute, just great. All in all, a fine entry in the pairing of Americas Sweethearts. 9/10